Scottie Scheffler is the dominant figure of the PGA Tour this year as well, and it seems that he will remain so in the long run. While it is clear that Scheffler has earned a huge amount of money, the public is shocked that the American is not the highest-earning golfer this year.

Namely, Joaquin Niemann, LIV Golf member, earned an incredible $21,212,762 this year. 

While Scottie collected 19,202,883 dollars this year, the Chilean golfer surpassed his earnings, being the dominant figure of the rival Tour. 

It is important to point out that Niemann did not excel at the Major tournaments this year, having mostly lackluster performances. Playing on the PGA Tour, Joaquin won twice, the Greenbrier in 2019 and the Genesis Invitational in 2022, after which he decided to open a new chapter in his career and join the LIV project in 2022. 

Joaquin Niemann© MirrorSport / X / Fair Use

A victory at a LIV tournament typically guarantees $4 million, which is nearly three times more than most PGA Tour events.

Niemann excelled this year on the Saudi-backed Tour, achieving as many as five victories. 

Fans reacted

Fans couldn't help but immediately ask the question: Would Niemann be dominant playing on the PGA Tour? Answering such questions is ungrateful and challenging, but if a merger happens, we will have a real picture of how the PGA and LIV golfers are doing. 

It seems we will have to wait a long time to see two rival Tours under the same roof. The public is not happy, but the main figures on both sides clearly want to take a bigger piece of the pie, while on the other hand there are obstacles in other areas.

For Niemann, the most important thing is to be a dominant figure on the controversial Tour, with his ambitions for the rest of the season being just as strong. It seems like he will succeed in that.

Time will tell whether Joaquin will continue to be the leader in terms of earnings by the end of the year.